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Liudmila Kondakova - Ile de la Cite
Island of the City
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"Paris is the city where reality and fiction have always met as if in the suspended universe of fantasy." - Liudmila Kondakova
There may be no site in Paris more central, more integral to the Parisian experience that the Ile de la Cite (Island of the City), the cradle of Parisian civilization. First inhabited by the Parisii tribe, who were conquered by the Romans in 52 AD, (who in turn were defeated by Clovis, king of the Francs), it remained the center of activity in that area through the Middle Ages. Three major buildings still remain from that era - the Conciergerie, the Church of Sainte Chapelle, and most notable, the Cathedral of Notre Dame, which began construction in 1163 on a spot deemed sacred since Roman times. The island kept its role as a religious and judicial center through the Middle Ages, and you can still see remnants of medieval streets in the square in front of Notre Dame.
Liudmila Kondakova has produced a masterpiece in the depiction of the famous cathedral on this famous island. Although it has been the focal point of thousands - perhaps millions - of photographs and paintings, surely there is no depiction more entrancing than what Kondakova has captured for us. The drama of the late afternoon sky, the foliage in full bloom, the shimmer of the approaching sunset upon the water, and the glow of this holy place have never looked so captivating.
The detail that Kondakova is able to achieve, on every tree or architectural detail, combined with her delicate touch and subtle colorations, make this a memorable image and a piece that all Kondakova collectors and lovers of all things Parisian will want to make their own.
The original painting from which this serigraph was created took months to complete. The lighting she achieved in this piece, which gives it a transcendent, almost mystical quality, is Kondakova at her best.
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